


Oh, Sugar Cookies

by TheGreatWitchSugoi



Category: Wanna One (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-26
Updated: 2018-03-04
Packaged: 2019-02-22 01:19:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13156137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGreatWitchSugoi/pseuds/TheGreatWitchSugoi
Summary: Park Jihoon has shopped himself into a bit of a pickle and probably a whole burger. Taking up his new occupation as a Sugar Baby, he'll valiantly put his dignity and manly pride on the line to keep his parents in the dark about his spending habits. He's keeping it strictly business but Mr. Kang has other motivations...





	1. Snickerdoodles

**Author's Note:**

> Based off a NielWink prompt. AU.

"Declined?"

  
That couldn't be right.

  
Park Jihoon leaned into his laptop screen, squinting through the dim lighting of his bedroom as he rapped the appropriate keys to try again.

But yet, here he was getting another "We're Sorry We Couldn't Authorize This Transaction, Please Enter Another Payment Method" as he attempted to check out his latest order. Those Afterglow's were practically blowing kisses at him from the Amazon cart with that even more seductive lightening deal price beside it. He made another attempt to be bonded with his new love in life... only to be denied once more.

  
Now math was never Jihoon's best subject... or actually... really any subject that didn't involve physical activity or theater but... anyway, he got into college (by legitimate means, mind you!) for a reason and that was he could at LEAST do basic addition and subtraction. And he was certain he'd been accurately tracking the number of swipes on this card (the numbers those swipes were magicking out of his bank account however were admittedly a different story). He was certain he only bought that Xbox X on this card... or was it the other on--- no, no. He distinctly remembers pulling out this one for that because he forgot the pin code again and he figured it'd be quicker to call Woojin but then Woojin wanted to be an ass about it ("I'm not your fucking lockbox, use your damn phone if you can't remember these things. Believe it or not, it does have more functions than just playing those crappy ass mobile games. And for the love of god, would you please save Daehwi's number already. I'm not your personal contacts list either and it's not fair he gets to avoid your insanity."). He gave him the pin anyway so, that whole argument was completely pointless (like most of their arguments) but anyway, he bought the Xbox--- oh and Battlefield (new system is pretty useless without a game, isn't it?). Then he used his bank account for the XBox Live card... no, wait... it was the Steam card. Then what did he buy those new Switch games on? And the neon joycons? And the new graphics card? And....

  
.... okay, he may have lost track somewhere. But surely, the actual amounts haven't...

  
He started three new tabs on the webpage and on the first, pulled up his banking account.

  
Then his credit card statement.

  
Then his "emergency" savings account (in his defense, a $200 new PS4 with a $50 gift card to replace his old one that his brother imploded somehow was very urgent situation).

  
...

 

...

 

  
Well shit.

* * *

 

"So... you're out of money for next semester." Park Woojin, Best Friend Extraordinaire, remarked as he sat arms folded on Jihoon's bed. The owner sat adjacent to him looking way too interested in the 2DS XL that Woojin knew was not only new but was an entirely unneccessary purchase as Jihoon had a perfectly fine n3DS XL laying on the nightstand beside them.

  
"Like... how. How the fuck did you spend over $4000 in a month?! Fuck, I knew I couldn't work that graveyard shift and leave you alone for a few weeks, else I would have been there punching some sense into you. Last time I wasn't on your ass for that long you went on a KFC diet and gained almost 20 pounds." Woojin was pinching his nose hoping to avoid a headache. He loved his friend dearly. Brothers from another mother. Together forever. Ride or die. But FUCK if he wasn't high maintanence and drove him fucking crazy sometimes. Fifteen years strong, yet it never ceased to mystify him how Jihoon could get himself into these situations when he'd swear on his grandmother's grave that the guy was probably the most clever and intelligent person he knew.

  
"Yes, you should have known better. Glad you're taking your share of the blame in this. Now, help me figure out how I'm going to fix this and completely avoid telling my parents."

  
Woojin whipped out his own phone and started hitting the keypad: "Hello? Mrs. Park?"

  
A vortex of wind knocked Woojin's phone out of his hand in such a blink he wondered if he imagined even taking it out at all. Then he looked up and saw Jihoon with the lost phone in hand with a cold gaze peering down into him. "Don't even."

  
Woojin tched and plucked his phone out of his friend's hands. "Seriously? You know I didn't really dial her and would never."

  
Jihoon's glacier eyes melted into their normal dewdrops instantly and with pursed lips he whined, "I know but my dear Sparrow is just so mean with his jokes~"

  
Woojin swore sometimes that he's been getting punked and Jihoon is actually a twin with two completely different personalities masquerading as one.

  
The boy in question gave one more deep bat of his lashes then moved back across the bed. Woojin started: "Okay, so do you at least have a job for the holidays?"

  
Jihoon fell on his back and studied the ceiling. "Yeah, I just started that temp at J.C. Rothbuck but it's only supposed to last through January and the pay is $8 an hour. I'm not making that back in two months. Man, I thought getting that job and holiday pay would give me more money to play with but..."

  
"But you played too hard. Way too hard. Like Olympic sport type spending. Only even if you got the gold you still lost."

  
"Nice analogy. At least I feel accomplished."

  
"You really shouldn't."

  
Woojin continued, noticeably exasperated, "Look Hoon, minimum wage ain't great even with holiday and overtime but if you really stretch your pennies or hell just take some of this shit back to the stor--"

  
Jihoon popped up looking scandalized like he was about ready to defend his children to the death.

  
".... but if you're really determined to keep all this bullshit--- which by the way is no substitute for my love and attention though it's flatte--"

  
"Goodbye, Park Woojin."

  
"--nor is it a healthy way of dealing with no longer living with your family (he felt more than saw Jihoon's wince at that one) BUT if you're going to be a stubborn ass about this then why don't you just take your next semester classes online and work full time?"

  
The other Park rolled his neck left to right, one eye shutting when he hit a kink. "Yeah, I thought about that and that would take care of bills for the semester. My current job should cover my books if I budget right. But I still need to pull $2500 out my ass to put back into the emergency fund before my parents notice it's gone."

  
"Well, how long so you think you have until they find out?"

  
"The first of next month. New Year's. When dad checks all the account balances for his books."

  
"Sounds pretty fucked to me."

  
"Thank you for your support."

  
"No problem, babe."

  
"I mean.... if I could just get a loan..."

  
"Hell no."

  
"Once more, thank you."

  
Woojin blew a kiss in Jihoon's direction, which the other made a show of squatting away. An idea then popped in his head: "How about asking Kuanlin? He has the money to spare and I swear that guy would go find an entire solar system to give to you if you asked him."

  
He saw the wince this time, he knew he was teetering a line here, but he also knew that he's the only one Jihoon would allow to walk it.

  
"He absolutely would and that's why I can't. You know that."

  
Woojin let out a breath he wasn't aware he was holding. "Even if you pay him back?"

  
"He'd never accept it."

  
"Then what are you going to do Hoon? No one is just going to just give you money, no guilt or messy emotions attached just because you're cute as fuck. Why don't you just tell your folks, they'll understand if you prostrate yourse--"

  
Woojin then realized he was having a conversation with air as his friend was suddenly over at his desk furiously typing away at his laptop (which suspiciously looked like a new gaming laptop... he was totally going to kick his ass about this later). "Park Jihoon, if you're trying to buy something else, I swear to god I'll hang you from the balcony."

  
Jihoon just kept typing clearly unbothered by the threat. Woojin swung off the bed and came to lean over his friend's shoulder and see what new fresh hell was about to open.

  
He wasn't disappointed.

  
No.... wait, actually he was. Because that lump that dropped into his stomach the moment he saw that flashing "Tis' the Season for Santa Babies, Meet Your Santa Daddy Now" banner at the top of the webpage could only be such.

  
"... a sugar daddy? You're going to look for a sugar daddy? THAT'S what you took from this whole conversation?!"

  
Jihoon puffed his cheeks, looking quite affronted though Woojin was pretty sure he was the one actually getting insulted here. "YOU said that no one is just going to give me money without guilt or messy emotions involved just because I'm cute. A sugar daddy WILL. It's actually one of your more brilliant ideas. Thank you, my knight in shining armor, my love~"

  
"No, you take credit for this one my dear honey bunny. I wouldn't dare put my name on this impending disaster. It's all yours, love~"

  
Jihoon continued typing then paused for a moment as he reached over to grab his phone and placed it in Woojin's hand. In one of their moments of twin-lethpy, Woojin instantly pulled up the camera function and stepped back a little to snap a photo of Jihoon winking and doing a double peace sign. He handed it back and Jihoon within the minute had to it sent to email and uploaded on his new sugar baby account.

  
"And viola, WinkPrince_99 is now in the sugar baby business."

  
"You know this is going to end badly right?"

  
"Hush you nonbeliever and give your honey bunny a kiss for his brilliant ideas~"

  
"I'm walking towards the balcony."

* * *

 

It'd been a few days since Jihoon enacted his, in retrospect, rather insane idea and with every new message he got from complete strangers drooling over how pretty he was and detailing all the pretty things they wanted to buy him he got more and more terrified. Some even went further with the details of what they'd like to do with and to hi---- oh fuck, Woojin was right. What the hell was he thinking?! It's not like he hasn't received this kind of attention before, for as long as he could remember, Jihoon's been told he was a REALLY good looking dude. He's gotten consistentaly hit on from both sexes all of his adult and teenage life. Even in elementary school, he was a lot of girls' first crushes. He's gotten used to it and sure, he was a rather sociable and polite person to all except his closest of friends, who got the brunt of his sassiness, but he always hated that initial cool awkwardness of meeting a total stranger. He could tease and flirt his ass off but unless a connection makes itself apparent instantly, it eventually gave way to just sweet shy smiles and long silences.

  
There was also that other problem of... well, yes Jihoon is popular. Yes, he's a tease. He could flirt. He could even initiate some physical contact. He's also been told he's a pretty damn good kisser. But when it came down to the actual sex.... well.... let's just say...

  
That account must be eradicated.

  
He locked his mailbox (you'd be shocked at all the self reflection that can go on when you're just getting the mail for the day) and was about to speed walk back to his apartment when he walked right into his neighbor that was also getting his mail at the moment.

  
"Oh my god, I'm sorry. I'm just-- kind of spacey right now um--"

  
"Ah, Kang. Kang Daniel. Park Jihoon, right?"

  
"Yeah, but how did you--" Still looking down at the strong arms that caught him, Jihoon finally looked up and studied the face they belonged to. A warm and vaguely familiar smile greeted him. Oh. They've met before. Out here in fact.

  
"We were getting each other's mail before. I'm pretty good with names. Even better with pretty faces." Mr. Kang explained. His smile got wider and a little twinkle in his eyes caused Jihoon to get the very distinct feeling he was being teased.

  
Jihoon laughed awkwardly, "Ha, well... faces I can do. Names are a little more work. I went nearly all of second grade not knowing my best friend had the same surname I did."

  
The taller of the two tilted his head back in earnest laughter. "That's really impressive."

  
"Anyway, sorry again for bumping into you... I really need to go. Um, so.... could you...?"

  
Mr. Kang had a puzzled expression at first then his eyes traveled further down and he identified the problem. His arms were still rather firmly around his neighbor. "Oh, haha, sorry. I didn't realize. I wasn't trying to keep you, I promise." He winked.

  
At the flirty gesture, Jihoon simply gave one of those small warm smiles. He felt the grip the other's arms had around him tighten for a brief moment then let go. Jihoon gave another small smile in goodbye this time and hurried down the hall. He brushed off the feeling of eyes traveling up and down his back.

  
Because that's exactly what he needed right now, more older guys trying to get into his pants.

* * *

 

It was right when Jihoon flopped down into his computer seat, popped open his laptop and pulled up the website that he was faced with 32 new messages... and the reality of his situation again.  
No, really, he was being silly. He could totally return some of this stuff. It was winter break, he's certain he could work more hours or even pick up a second seasonal position. He could live off water and cup ramen for the rest of the year. If eating Kentucky Fried Chicken four days a week for a month didn't kill him, he'd surely survive this. Maybe.

  
Instead of reading his messages or going to the account settings to hit the delete button (which was still totally his intention), he found himself scrutinizing the "Recommended Daddies in your Area" banner at the bottom of the screen. He wasn't particularly interested in that... there was just this one that had a username that caught his attention.

  
"Kang_Daddy?"

  
Well, Kang wasn't necessarily an unusual name. Quite common actually. The profile picture attached to it featured a peach shaped cartoon character he couldn't for the life of him remember the name. Out of pure curiosity, he clicked on the profile and was brought to Kang Daddy's homepage. There wasn't a ton going on. Pretty simple layout with transparent floating text boxes and a pattern of colorful cat shadows against a white background.

  
He still couldn't figure out for the life of him why he even cared when he was deleting himself off this blasted thing anyway, but he started reading the person's profile:

  
**Late 20's**  
**5'11**  
**Korean-American**  
**Six figure income bracket**  
**Hobbies include gaming, bboying, dance**  
**Must love cats**

  
A tiny alarm was buzzing in the back of Jihoon's mind telling him to abort mission but he paid it no heed as his mouse hovered over the link to Kang Daddy's gallery. The first couple of pictures were of what he assumed to be the guy's cats. They looked pretty old but cute all the same. Then the third picture.

  
The third picture.

  
That fucking third picture.

  
That blasted fucking smile.

  
Of all the Kangs that have ever existed what are the odds, what are the chances it could have possibly been the one he lives down the hall from?

  
Very good apparently.

  
But also no.

  
No.

  
Nope.

  
Nope.

  
NOPE.

  
Jihoon pointed his mouse straight at the account drop down, clicked settings, and was hovering over the delete account option just a second longer than he should have.... okay more like thirty seconds... maybe a minute... or two.... shit. SHIT. He heart was racing a mile a minute. Why the hell did he even care what his neighbor was up to? He barely talked to the guy outside of a mix up a few months ago and the brief exchange they had now. It wasn't his business why some nearly thirty year old dude making six figures was staying in the college part of town and looking for some little tart to keep him "company." Or why he was obsessed with cats and always so... smiley.

  
He could just delete this account right now, mark this down as one of his temporary bouts of desperate insanity, and forget this Kang Daniel guy even existed.

  
He could get himself out his current mess with some honesty, hard work... and .... ramen.... noodles... for the rest of the year.

  
Okay.

  
OKAY.

  
So perhaps this could use some more creative thinking.

  
Maybe... he could look at this from another angle.

  
Mr. Kang even if barely an acquaintance is AT LEAST someone he's met before. Mostly a stranger but not a complete stranger. He seemed nice and harmless enough from the two times they've talked. Based off his profile, he doesn't appear to be looking for a sex toy just some companionship... which could still involve sex but it's a better assurance than the other guys who are definitely looking for it.

  
And if anything goes awry, he knows where the guy lives and he'll make sure Woojin knows, too.

  
.... was he really about to do this though?

  
Potentially throwing away his pride all for the shallow and temporary comfort that material items and overpriced junk food could give him?

  
Jihoon gave one last sweeping look through his apartment, now filled with top of the line gaming and tech gadgets. The new quilted sheets on his bed, the matching curtains, the cool lava lamp glowing on the corner stand, the KFC box....

  
.... yes.

  
Yes, he was.

* * *

 

Just down the hall, Kang Daniel was at his bar pouring himself some Hennessy over rocks when he heard a notification ping in. Taking a sip, he pulled out his phone and swiped to see it was from a WinkPrince_99 on the Sugar app.

  
"Haven't gotten one of these in a while, man this Baby better be super cute to make up for this dryn--"

  
Sucking in a rapid deep gulp, the liquid caught in his throat and he was simultaneously trying to cough it up and choke it down. After a good ten seconds of this, he massaged his throat in an attempt to soothe the burning sensation.

  
When he recovered, he looked down at his phone again. Blinking and blinking again because there was no fucking way--

  
\--but he'd never mistake those gorgeous eyes anywhere.

  
"Well... Merry Christmas to me."

 

 


	2. Fudge Nuggets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first "not" date and other wrecks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based off a NielWink prompt.

"Name on the reservation?"

Fucking.

Hell.

What IS this bougie ass bullshit?

Jihoon came to the conclusive remark after taking a moment to study where exactly "Kang Daddy" wanted to meet for their first... errhhhh...

A "helpful" voice that sounded suspiciously like Woojin in his head went _'date'_ which then Jihoon happily corrected it and told it to fuck off.

This was a meeting. Yes, meeting. The meeting place however was this upscale Asian restaurant downtown that took 30 minutes by bus (because hell if he were going to using his own gas anytime soon. See? He could be economical!) and was attached to one of the biggest and most expensive hotels in the city. As soon as he passed through the entrance of golden plated glass doors and stepped onto the marble floors, a bellboy asked for his coat and directed him towards the booth where the hostess awaited. The place was reservation only to all but hotel guests from what he'd read online. The food was supposedly pretty damn good but...

"Sir?"

Jihoon snapped out of his thoughts at the second call. "Oh, it's Kang Dad-- uhm ummm-- Kang Daniel."

"Ah, yes. This way, please." The tiny bobbed haired lady at the booth said then started briskly walking to the right and Jihoon lengthened his strides to stay in step behind her.

He always took a small pleasure in these moments. Being the taller person wasn't a joy he got to experience much in life after puberty hit. Just above eye length was usually the best he could expect and few things grinded his gears more than when some stupidly tall guy would stand face to face with him, close enough to where he'd have to look up to make eye contact. Speaking of...

The clicking heels of the hostess stopped at one table further towards the back of the restaurant, only the bar behind it and towards the middle with a nice view of the indoor pond. Mr. Kang was already in his seat, a drink in hand and leaning back as if he was trying to size up the whole place. That scrutinizing gaze eventually fell on Jihoon and the younger of the two tried not to let the intensity raise his hackles.

He doesn't think he succeeded however as Mr. Kang's eyes flicked with amusement and the smile that accompanied them was looking disturbingly feline. "Hello, Beautiful." Mr. Kang greeted, setting down his glass of cognac. "Thought you'd skip out on me."

Jihoon laughed... awkwardly. Not just from trying to keep down his infuriatingly easy to invoke fluster from the nickname... but because that's exactly what almost happened.

It was just the previous night when he contacted Kang_Daddy with a simple "hi". Mr. Kang responded within minutes with a "Hello neighbor" and for the first time that week, Jihoon was not regretting putting his selfie as his profile photo as the older guy's recognition of him right away made the exchange a little less painful to get into. He was hoping he'd have a couple of days to ease himself into this or maybe back out if he got cold feet again but Mr. Kang got right to the point that he wanted to see him as soon as possible. First, he suggested they go out for coffee that same night but Jihoon managed to convince him that lunch would be better. The older gentleman agreed then gave the place and time.

In true Park Jihoon fashion, he then spent all night shooting monsters and zombies to not think about his lunch... meeting... thing. He woke up at the ass crack of noon and went through three cycles of hoodies and jeans before deciding a dress shirt, sweater, and khaki combo would probably be more appropriate for this type of place then rushed out the door barely catching the bus before it could leave it's stop.

So it wasn't an _intentional_ almost skip out, at least.

Instead of answering, Jihoon just gave a small smile in greeting, nodded in thanks to the hostess walking away and attempted to sit down. He heard another chair scrap back and then footsteps that caused him to look up. He was met with Mr. Kang's unwavering gaze... and tried not to bristle when he looked back down to see the other was holding his seat out for him.

"Thanks." He mumbled as he finally sat down and then felt himself being pushed towards the table. Mr. Kang simply hummed in response and returned to his own seat. Leaning forward with folded arms on the table, the older man's eyes stayed fixated on Jihoon as if he were the most interesting specimen on the planet.

The older gentleman started, "So... to what do I owe this pleasure? I'd like to think I've been a very good boy this year so Santa sent a pretty little prince my way but I'll let you confirm that for me."

A twitch found its way into Jihoon's left eye and he wasn't sure whether it was the implication he was some kind of gift to be received or the adjective "little" that did it. It's too early in the day to be this triggered and frankly, he had no intention of sugarcoating this. He needed money and Mr. Kang needed... things yet to be discussed. As far as the trouble prone university student was concerned, this was strictly a business transaction and was absolutely going to be handled as such.

"Well, Mr. Kang, to be honest with you--"

"No need for the formalities, Sugar. Just call me Daniel." Mr. Kang cut in, eyes twinkling brighter.

A twitch then reached Jihoon's right eye. It's _way_ too early to be this triggered. He continued on like the interruption never happened, "To be honest with you, I'm in a bit of jam and I kind of need some extra... income."

 _'That doesn't require me getting another job or you know, actually practicing some financial sense'_ , that voice that sounded too damn much like Woojin interjected in a mocking tone once more and Jihoon, once more, told it to fuck off already.

"Oh? What kind of trouble are you in? You seem like a good kid... or is that cute face hiding some secrets?" Mr. Kang gently teased.

"Ha...ha... no. It's not that type of trouble. I'm just short on cash for the semester and I can't ask my parents for more money."

 _Or they'd kill me,_  was the unspoken close to that sentence.

"Ah, I see. So you're looking for a Daddy to take care of you for the semester. Well, look no further. I happen to take really good care of my Babies. Not just financially either. Anything you need, anything at all," Mr. Kang reached across the table and grabbed the hand Jihoon had laying flat on the table bringing it up to his lips. "Just give me a holler." He finished then pressed a chaste kiss to the younger man's hand, lips lingering just a little longer than was necessary.

Jihoon fought the instinct to snatch his hand away. Oh god, was he really going to be able to do this on a consistent basis without potentially high kicking this dude into the nearest rooftop?

Mr. Kang eventually let the brunette's hand go and Jihoon just gave one of those tiny sweet smiles while resisting the new urge to wipe it against his pant leg. Putting on his best poker face, he placed his elbows on the table, cradled his face in his hands and batted his eyes in what he has learned well over the years achieved a really cute look. "So, what are you doing this for?", he pried. "You seem like a good guy that shouldn't be lacking for any company... or is that smiling face hiding some skeletons?"

Jihoon could barely contain his cheeky smile as Mr. Kang's own smile dropped a bit and he raised an eyebrow at seeing his words modified then thrown back.

"Me?" The older man started, "Well... I ..."

Ah? What's this? Hesitance? Trailed off sentences? So Mister Smile Emoji isn't that unflappable after all. Jihoon put himself down for a point on his mental scoreboard, feeling quite smug at the moment.

Then Mr. Kang's smile turned into something less flirty and more thoughtfully distant, his eyes not meeting Jihoon's for the first time in the whole conversation. He answered, "I just like good looking people. I like being around them, I like taking care of them. And this way, there's no obligations, no hard feelings, or messy attachments. Just two people getting what they want. Right?"

"Right." Jihoon agreed, that last part especially hitting home for him... though his stomach did a thing that wasn't quite pleasant hearing the man across from him speak like that. There was something more behind it, and Jihoon got a feeling it was quite an interesting story but welp... it wasn't any of his business. He pressed on for details on the current matter instead, "So what DO you want out of this... transaction?"

_Please don't say sex. Please don't say sex._

The flirty smile on Mr. Kang's face restored some of itself as he answered, "Oh, that's easy." Beady half moon eyes returned to meet Jihoon's big mandarin duck ones and the blonde man reached back across the table to clasp the young brunette's left hand in his own. He continued, "I want to show you off. I want to spoil you. Take you anywhere you want to go." His voice lowered as well as his lips to meet the back of the smaller hand again, "Take you to heights of pleasure you're never seen before."

A dog's bark was heard and the sound of a cat hissing outside. The distinct sound of metal trash cans crashed in the alleyway, followed by the screeching of car tires. Sirens were heard loud and clear as an ambulance rushed down the street outside the restaurant. A firetruck was tailing it, horns blaring. After that, was the sound of a nuclear reactor imploding and the wailing screams of all the busy workers inside dying in ago-- oh wait, that was just Jihoon's mind in self destruct mode as his soul attempted to leave his body. No biggie.

Mr. Kang released the hand he'd molested twice in one sitting and picked up his cognac glass in its place. "Oh... also, I have this business trip to Aspen in a couple of weeks so I'd like you to be my date for that as well."

Date. The word swirled in the air like a paper plane... slipping through Jihoon's ear and crash landed on the still functional part of his brain that hadn't yet melted down from his worst fear being realized.

... date...

A dark skinned waitress with a head full of braided tresses came up to their table. She took out her pen as she looked towards Mr. Kang and asked, "Sir, are you ready to order?"

"Yeah, sure." The tall blonde answered before taking a swig of cognac.

The waitress nodded then gestured towards Jihoon, "And how about your date?"

... date...

Mr. Kang turned to him then, "Babe, you ready to order? Normally, I wouldn't worry your pretty head about it but it's the first date after all. Learning curve and all. Don't wanna order something that sends you to the hospital." He chuckled at the end with a wink that acted as a final killing blow of reality.

... date...

 

This.

 

Was.

 

A.

 

**DATE.**

 

...aaaaaannnnd Park Jihoon's soul officially left the building.

 

* * *

 

Later that night, Jihoon sat cross legged on his bed staring into space as if the answers to life would come to him if he just zoned out long enough.

Woojin was sitting at the computer desk, a leftover tray of mandarin duck from earlier that day in hand as he munched on some of the remaining lo mein thoughtfully. He'd been briefed on everything from the previous night to that afternoon, and as it was his duty as designated best friend for life, he gave Jihoon the verbal beat down he deserved then stole his leftovers from the lunch date.

The food from that place was supposed to pretty damn good he heard.

After several minutes of silence, save for the news report about a car accident caused by a dog and cat fighting playing on the TV in the background, a weak voice that sounded faintly like Jihoon's cried out, "Woojin... my prince... my most trusted adviser... what did I get myself into?"

Woojin polished off the lo mein and dug for a cut of meat, "I already told ya it was a date, didn't I?"

The snaggletoothed sparrow closed his eyes savoring the tender blissfulness caressing his taste buds not at all bothered as the starry eyed rabbit on the bed let out a wail that rivaled the cries from car tires in the distance and sirens echoing down the block.

 _'There's sure been a lot of crashes lately.'_   Woojin thought absently and went in for another bite.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's 4am and my beta is sleeping. Forgive any happy accidents. 
> 
> Next Chapter: The first 'date' date and why friends suck.


	3. Peppermint Bark

"Anything I can help with… sir?"

 

The flat voice of someone clearly one hundred percent over her shift already prompted Daniel to look up and see the pierced, mermaid haired store rep peeking over his broad shoulder. The glazed expression in her eyes confirmed that after 25 minutes of not paying attention to her customer browsing, she only decided to come over to curb her own boredom. Maybe she just finished the manhwa he caught a glimpse of her reading when he initially came into the store. With a wide grin, Daniel raised one brow at the rep and gave one of his big friendly smiles. His friends normally likened his smile to that of an overly excited mutt and in this setting, maybe he did come off rather doggish while enthusiastically examining everything phallic.

 

"Yes, I got this sweet little bunny I’m plan on taking out tonight. Like really super cute, you should see him. Big sparkling eyes, plump lips, a nice round heart shaped face and the fluffiest cheeks you'd ever imagine. Pint sized too. I could carry him in my pocket." The older gentlemen grinned more widely, recalling his adorable neighbor. He knew he was probably getting a little too ahead of himself but he couldn’t help but get a little extra excited over his latest baby. He thought maybe their little mix up at the beginning of the semester was as far as his natural abundance of dumb luck would take him, but once again, Lady Luck’s love for him exceeded his expectations.

 

Over the years, he can say he's had more than a few run in's with dumb luck. He was never particularly bright and was done with school the moment he got his high school diploma yet his good friend at the time, Kim Jaehwan, had plans of opening a maintenance company and needed someone to help him take on new clients. They both spent years fulfilling local contracts slowly building up their team until eventually, neither Jaehwan nor Daniel needed to be out on the floors anymore and could afford desk jobs. A decade later, Kim Maintenance was a major player on the eastern coast in janitorial contracting with hundreds of employees ran by two rather wealthy high school graduates. It was something no one in his family saw coming and certainly none of his teachers or classmates. He could hardly contain his satisfaction at their class reunion last year as he traded stories with the guys that used to belittle him and the girls that used to snub him. Overweight, stressed out, children hanging off their backs, mountains of student debt, and bosses at jobs that made them absolutely miserable. It was a beautiful evening.

 

Daniel was never particularly handsome either. He was overweight going into his mid-20's but after moving into the corporate office, he got back into his old love for dancing, lost weight, dyed his hair, started sporting a more expensive wardrobe, and suddenly he was a tasty snack luring all kinds of wandering skirts and twinks to his arsenal. Somewhere along the line, he got pretty disinterested in the club scene and started the sugar daddy account just allowing the bees to draw themselves to the honey. The money certainly did a lot of the work too and yeah maybe it was in poor taste to use all this to his advantage instead of just truly, honestly _dating_ but hey, the world was superficial with all its superficial people who didn't bother with personality checking so long as they’re getting shiny gifts and good sex so what was wrong with just giving people what they wanted?

 

Better than having nothing anyone wanted. Better than being somebody nobody wanted.

 

All this dumb luck seemed endless however and eventually lead Daniel to this big new adventure where the company is looking towards expansion and the big wigs are choosing to celebrate with a meeting in Aspen. He was looking for someone pretty to have on his arm and in his bed for the week because why the hell not but his sugar baby prospects had dried up over the past couple of months so he wasn’t too hopeful. Then as the bimbo Lady Luck would have it, the lovely young neighbor he'd been eyeing since he moved in at the beginning of the semester offered himself as tribute on a silver and diamond platter.

 

He’d gotten a few questions before on why exactly he stayed on the college side of town of all places and the answer was simple: it was a 10 minute walk from the office and you could get a big as fuck apartment for cheap. Park Jihoon’s arrival to the tenant list became an additional perk, being one treasure that stood out among the rest with eyes that shimmered like they were made from the rarest of jewels. It was no exaggeration to say he was pretty sure he could get lost in them because it happened during their very first meeting. Jihoon was just holding out his mail questioning if he were speaking with a “Kang Daniel” and said Kang Daniel was struggling to remember his own name while trying to figure out how the hell does one have that many stars in their eyes. It happened again during their lunch date yesterday… well, when Daniel could actually get the kid’s attention. The thing about Jihoon is that he wasn't just pretty. With his lengthy shoulders, crafted jawline, and thick build, he was also what you could consider handsome. Beautiful even. Yet even with that cute and shy exterior, the older gentlemen could tell this kid had quite a bit of fire and snark underneath. He appeared to be a little uptight and stubborn as hell too. Still refusing to even call Daniel by his first name when they talked over the phone earlier to set another date for tonight. He could hear the bravado in Jihoon's tone over the phone as he roughly accepted the place as the mall downtown though he insisted they ate somewhere where they served fried chicken (and Daniel immediately filed away a high end Southern restaurant he knew wasn't far from there).

 

It was freaking adorable really.

 

He already had their night outlined. The “baby special” he liked to call it (in his head) that universally pleased all his past dates. Start off the evening with some shopping, buying him everything he desires then take him out to eat somewhere fancy, and then take a carriage ride through the park that’ll stop right at the apartment complex. Then the night will end right in his bed. Maybe he was getting a little too ahead of himself but Jihoon was just such a sweet treat, he couldn’t help but buy a new toy just for the occasion too.

 

Daniel took another shiny little bullet into his hand and flipped it back and forth inspecting it.

 

The disinterested rep spoke up again, "Ah well I don't know about rabbit toys here but we do have some toys for whatever _person_ you'd like to play with."

 

Daniel laughed heartily at the snide remark. "Okay, okay. So I’m looking for… something small, smooth, and won’t overwhelm a virgin but that'll send him over the edge. Ah, and very cute color and shape too if possible."

 

The rep blinked at him through her thick black frames and clicked her tongue once in thought. She started, "I think we got something like that for you… and your rabbit."

 

Daniel sat up from his hunched position over the case containing an assortment of high tech sex toys and gave the rep his widest smile.

 

“Fantastic.”

 

* * *

 

 

A wail that sounded like a ship departing on its last cruise shook Park Woojin's ears something awful. He scrunched his nose in annoyance and threw the nearest object (a gaming mouse) he could at the offending noise. His best friend. The one now wailing louder as the mouse made direct contact with the back of his head.

 

"Shut up." Woojin growled. "I told you this was a stupid idea. My poor eardrums did nothing to deserve you whining them to ruin."

 

Jihoon didn't stop however as he tore apart his closet frantically, looking for something that wouldn't make him feel as out of place as yesterday but also something that didn't make him look remotely attractive but also not something that made it seem like he didn't care but also something that wouldn't make it obvious he was some little tart dating some older rich guy.

 

Unfortunately, no such thing existed in his wardrobe… and probably not anywhere else in this dimension.

 

Jihoon wailed in despair towards his best friend. His best friend forever who would _surely_ come around and take pity on him for his terrible decisions. "Woojin~ my prince, my knight, my lovely sparrow~ I require a mercy killing. Save me from my date tonight. I prostrate myself in front of you for all your knowing wisdom and--"

 

The brunette finished his sentence with a yelp as he felt a sharp kick from his so called best friend on his rear end.

 

So clearly no pity or mercy was from coming from that end. He knew he should have befriended that one kid that was eating his boogers in the sandbox instead but nope Kindergarten Jihoon just HAD to play with the cool dinosaur figures this snaggletooth loser had across the playground.

 

"Again, you got yourself involved with an older guy who--frankly, creeps me the fuck out, just saying, and he happens to have expensive taste. The opposite of your whack ass mid-range tragic as fuck taste. So you're going to have to adjust to his environment and find some way to fulfill your end of the deal without embarrassing the fuck outta yourself (too late btw). A deal is a deal." Woojin gave him an additional kick muttering profanities under his breath before spinning around and turning his back on his trouble prone friend.

 

Jihoon looking scandalized and abandoned just stood back up and reexamined all the pieces he already had thrown across the room hoping maybe he'd overlooked something but Woojin, his (not so) better half, was correct in that despite his expensive looking handsome face and expensive hobbies, he'd never actually had expensive taste in clothing. Something about spending $80 on a name brand shirt over a video game never sat right with him.

 

Like, one was just something you wore while the other thing offered dozens of hours of entertainment and cool monsters, characters and stuff.

 

Was it really a competition?

 

He gave a long breath that clearly signaled he had given up and plopped backwards onto his bed letting out an additional wail for good measure that earned another smack from Woojin as the tanned skin male got up this time and grabbed a pillow as a weapon. Jihoon removed the fluffy danger from his face and looked up at his friend seriously this time.

 

"What do I do, Woojin?" He poked one cherry colored bottom lip out as he lamented.

 

Woojin just sighed down at the shorter male. "Your date's in an hour right? And you can't find anything to wear so... I called in reinforcements."

 

Jihoon popped up at that. No.... he didn't. FUCK.

 

"Park Woojin, I swear to GOD if you--"

 

There was musical knock at the door that sounded vaguely like Jingle Bells and before Jihoon could finish his sentence, Woojin was already to the door and opened to reveal exactly who Jihoon was dreading.

 

"Hello~ HELLO~! Hoonie, it's about TIME. When were you ever going to give me your number? Don't answer that. Clearly never. And here I thought I was your ONLY friend besides Woojin. No wonder we're the only two that'll tolerate your antisocial ass." Lee Daehwi finished his little introduction dialogue only when he was sure he successfully made Jihoon feel two inches tall (and he did) then stepped into the room setting down the two tote bags he had full of items.

 

"Hey Daehwi. Nice to see you too." Jihoon deadpanned then gave Woojin an "I'm going to kill you for this later" smile before sitting back down on his bed.

 

Jihoon did love Daehwi. He truly did. He was a few years younger than he and Woojin so it may have been a little odd that he managed to squeeze into their little circle from just moving a few doors down from him in high school but the kid was actually very smart for his age. Talented singer, composer, dancer, and overall a joy to be around. But FUCK his mouth drove Jihoon up a wall sometimes. The kid was as sassy as he was cute... and maybe Jihoon also felt a little competitive around him being that he could out-cute him with his eyes closed. Oh, and that Jinyoung guy he was dating was also a sore patch on his pride as he's the only guy in all of Jihoon's years of inhabiting planet Earth that he'd concede was (probably) better looking than him.

 

So yeah, Daehwi and Jinyoung. Not a combo that he sought out often lest his ego took a rather undeserved (in his opinion) brutality on all spectrums.

 

Thankfully, Daehwi was Jinyoung-less today but he prepared his ego for massive bruising anyway as Daehwi regularly loved to trash on his fashion and tried his hardest to dress him every chance he got. And Woojin, his former best friend, basically gave him the all access pass he'd been waiting for for years.

 

Daehwi immediately got down to business, opening up the first tote and pulling out a white collar shirt. He started, "Don't worry doll, I'm not going to do anything too drastic with you because frankly, you ruin yourself with abominations of the rainbow on such a daily basis that I'm been dying to actually see you in something simple and tasteful---"

 

Jihoon muttered something that sounded like "How about you taste this kick in the mout---" then groaned as Woojin elbowed him in warning. Yeah, definitely former best friend. Fuck this.

 

"---but, I'll allow you a little color at least. I'm not a total dictator." Daehwi finished as he threw the shirt at Jihoon then pull out a pink blazer and some black dress pants.

 

"Hehe... dicktator." Woojin smirked and then, it was finally his turn to get some physical abuse as Daehwi pinched him in the left arm.

 

"I have a zero tolerance policy for puns however." The youngest explained.

 

Jihoon took the blazer and pants looking at them devastated. This looked... so basic... and he somehow knew they cost more than probably the new Splatoon controller + game + steelbook combo he'd just bought... hey, he had himself a new source of income so he figured he could splurge but Woojin disagreed strongly and that admittedly was probably the real reason for his very foul and abusive mood but Jihoon wasn't going to make assumptions. In fact, he was just going to finely pretend like he had no fucking idea what Woojin's problem was. Emotional constipation. Gotta love it.

 

A heavy metal was felt on his arm as a watch was clinked on it. "Hey, now look, I actually DO have taste in those!" Jihoon exclaimed clearly affronted.

 

The younger friend just rolled his eyes in an such-a-little-shit-but-so-cute-as-fuck-that-Jihoon-was seeing-green way as he groaned, "Sure you do. But you're the one in need of the fashion police and I already brought it over here so who actually fucking cares?"

 

Woojin, the former friend and traitor, just snickered in agreement and Jihoon swore as soon as he got dressed, these fuckers were going to be thrown out on their asses. Daehwi then pulled a simple cross necklace out the bag and pulled it over Jihoon's head then instructed him to start getting dressed. Jihoon obliged, pulling off his oversized long sleeved shirt and pulling on the collared shirt. Woojin deciding to be useful for the first time since Genesis, helped him straighten the cuffs and button up. He grabbed the shiny loafers from Daehwi that he pulled out of his now seemingly endless bag of tricks and handed them to the brunette as he was now button up his slacks. He was then attacked by some mist of death that vaguely smelt of sandalwood and some other manly, flowery bullshit. Jesus, is this REALLY what dating people went through? What the hell were they... masochists?!

 

Coughing to regain some tiny bit of fresh air, Jihoon sat back down but Daehwi followed him down with a black pencil. Jihoon had no idea what the fuck it was but he somehow knew it was dangerous and needed to be eradicated. "Get that the fuck away from me." He growled lowly.

 

Jihoon could actually be pretty scary when he was pushed far enough. Despite his cute and pretty looks, he was rather strong and had a nasty temper. A low growl of warning like that was usually alarming enough to stave off people. His so-called friends however... there must be something called "Pissed Off Jihoon Immunity" that went into place the moment that Jihoon decided to befriend some bastard because all of them insisted he just looked like some prissy jigglypuff when he was angry. Daehwi was no exception as he just rolled his eyes in slight annoyance and proceeded to push that unknown torture device into Jihoon's space. The item he assumed could be identified as eye liner since Daehwi beckoned him to close his eye and he felt lines being drawn on it. The ink felt a little cool and smooth. Daehwi didn't seem to be putting too much up there or Jihoon may have, for once, made good on his vocal warning. He moved on to the other way then when finished, lightly blew on them both to dry quicker. The offended liner disappeared from Jihoon's line of vision then another foreign torture device appeared. This seemed to be some type of bright lip color.

 

"Daehwi..." Jihoon growled.

 

The sassy teenager once again brushed aside the older male's warnings then took Jihoon's chin into his hand, smoothing the shear red color onto his lips. "Relax, I'm your savior, remember? You're not going to look like you're going on Rupaul's Drag Race, unless--?" 

Whatever look in Jihoon's eyes then must have properly conveyed the death threats he'd been sending this whole time because Daehwi finally shut his trap and didn't press his luck any further in that direction after finishing his lips and lightly patting his face with powder. 

"Shockingly, your skin is kind of perfect even with all that greasy trash you ingest on a weekly basis. Still doing those face masks twice a week like you completely promised me you'd do? For my health?" Daehwi just mused conversationally as if he didn't just insert yet another backhanded jab.

 

It was time for Jihoon to roll his own eyes and groan, "Yes, yes. They actually feel stupidly good. Especially the strawberry ones." 

Daehwi produced his first smile of the evening at his older friend and blotted one last puff of powder on his nose before putting it back into the mystery bag of hell it came from. "Good to hear, good to hear. Now please also tell me you haven't been using the clay ones to make panda faces ag--- OH GOD that expression, you totally have! Come on, Hoonie! I need SOME hope the guys I'll be dealing with when I get to college aren't going to be immature little tools. But you and Woojin just keep dashing and stabbing each shred of faith." Daehwi dramatically droned then released his hold on Jihoon's face to return to his bag again.

 

What the hell else was that demonic little makeup and clothes fairy hiding? 

Woojin snorted in offense at said demon fairy’s rant then something occurred to him. "Hey, wait. What the hell you care about the guys in college? You got Jinyoung!" The snaggletooth Park accused.

A little flush could be seen on the tips of Daehwi's ears as he snapped back, "Well yes, but you never know how these high school flings go. It's good to keep your options open." 

Both Parks raised an eyebrow at that but not really knowing the situation between Daehwi and his boyfriend at the time, they decided to keep any additional thoughts to themselves. Daehwi dug deeper in his bag of tricks this time, and goddamn for fucking real WHAT ELSE could possibly be in there? Jihoon gritted his teeth in dread. He already looked like some twinkle twinkle little gay nightmare he was certain. Daehwi let out a "aha!" and pulled out the item he was scouring for. 

Jihoon just sat a little bemused at the bottle in his younger friend's hand. That wasn't anything wearable. Well, not wearable in the sense he was anticipating anyway. 

Daehwi came over and placed the little bottle of what Jihoon could now read the label and identify as strawberry candy flavored lube in this hand.

Lube. LUBE. THIS FUCKING BRAT WAS HANDING HIM LUBE. 

Jihoon had no idea how his face kept so neutral when the inside of him was screaming bloody murder while the tribal beat played and a village of cannibals was demanding the offending intruder's head be served to them on a plate. But here he was. Looking cool as a cucumber. He mentally pat himself on the back for his brilliant exercise in patience and method acting. He could have totally been an actor in another career path, he was sure. 

Daehwi looked SO pleased with the vile thing he just placed in his older friend's hand though that it chipped away at his patience ever so lightly.

 

"Now, here's a little something your daddy friend should like. Make yourself appear extra tasty, mmkay? Shoot, I think I forgot the flavored condoms but if he's as experienced as he sounds, he'll have his own stash."

 

A twitch dug its way into Jihoon's right temple.

 

For some absurd reason, Woojin added, "He probably will but just in case, I have an extra. Here." Woojin pulled out a condom from the back of his pants and placed it in Jihoon's other hand.

 

And no, Jihoon was NOT going to think about the fact his friend wore an extra-large condom and any other unwanted thoughts about the size of his dick.

 

In his suppression of those demonic images, a twitch then made its way to his left temple.

 

Daehwi tapped his finger on his chin, looking with his big, doe eyes up to the ceiling as if he was innocently trying to think of anything he forgot. Jihoon wasn't fooled for a second. Whatever the hell else he was thinking of, the elder knew had to be straight from Hades. A "oh" slipped through those big, pouty pink lips as Daehwi returned to the bag that Jihoon was now certain is actually a portal to the dimension of pure evil and pulled out what Jihoon mentally prayed was the _actual_ last item.

 

When Daehwi pulled out the item however, Jihoon retracted any kind of faith he was briefly giving to a higher being because if there was one out there, that fucker clearly just abandoned him. 

The little harbinger of chaos dangled the item on the tip of his pointer and brought it over to Jihoon... as if... he's supposed to... do... something... with it. 

The older brunette licked his lips and started carefully, "And... what exactly does _that_ have to do with me?" 

Daehwi rolled his eyes and if he rolled them one more time, Jihoon swore his eyeballs would just fall right out. Would serve him right anyway. 

The little white lacey contraption was waved in his face like it'd somehow give him a clue then Daehwi explained, "Just a tasty little number to slip on for the night. From what Woojin told me, I can tell your daddy will love it. You can slip it in your back pocket and change into it when he brings you back to his plac--" 

"Or, you can just run to the bathroom and put it on now. We can even judge it for you." Woojin for some damn reason once again offered his completely **UNWANTED** , **UNASKED FOR** opinion. 

Jihoon moved his mouth to tell them both to hit the bricks when Daehwi let out another "ah" sound.

Oh fucking fuckity fuck FUCK NO. This troll from the underworld could not POSSIBLY have something else in that ba--- 

What was shown next to Jihoon did it. That was it. THAT was the coin that broke the piggybank. The inch that took the mile. The ant that ruined the picnic. THIS was his limit. 

As if he was clueless of the nuclear power plant in front of him that as about to meltdown, Daehwi skipped back over to Jihoon and carefully placed a pair of rabbit ears on his head. "There!" The high schooler smiled, admiring his handiwork. "Now go be a cute, sexy little bunny for your daddy now~." 

Woojin stood up next to Daehwi to get a better frontal view of Jihoon and held up his phone camera. Smirking widely he cooed,  "Say cheese... or carrot!" 

Flash. 

Neither Woojin or Daehwi really knew what super feat of human speed and strength happened in that split second the camera flashed but before it registered that the photo was even taken, both found themselves laying on very sore asses in the hallway outside their friend's door and the bags Daehwi came with thrown out with them. A slammed door was heard as they tried to gather themselves together to figure out what hurricane blew through. 

The younger of the two evicted friends just huffed and proclaimed loudly hoping Jihoon would hear through the door, "THIS IS WHY YOU'RE STILL A VIRGIN!"

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no excuse for why this was update took over a month. Berate me.
> 
> Next Chapter: Dates suck even harder than friends.


	4. Ginger Snaps

_“Just hear those sleigh bells jingle-ing, ring ting tingle-ing, too_

_Come on, it’s lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you_

_Outside the snow is falling and friends are calling yoo-hoo_

_Come on, it’s lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you”_

A pink and black blur sped through Cherrystub Mall to the tempo of The Ronettes blaring through the speakers, dodging such various obstacles as two burly men holding hands, a woman with a stroller full of bags (and presumably a child buried somewhere under there), a gang of teenagers who probably were _not_ supposed to be smoking in the building, and Santa Claus (who may or may not have been talking to some kids but he didn’t have to time to stop and process the cries and angry shouts hurled at him to really confirm). The blur stopped at the Nordstrom that took up the whole west wing of the mall to reveal a whole Park Jihoon who paused to check his watch.

 

Only five minutes late this time. Not bad considering Daehwi and Woojin’s “help” had actually put him 20 minutes behind schedule. Who said middle school track wouldn’t be useful later in life?

 

The brunette took his next steps more carefully into the store. This was foreign territory. Unfamiliar scents were wafting through the air, alien looking items of dress all in rows and on shelves, people you couldn’t _pay_ him to associate with surrounding him on all sides…

 

He needed to find Kang Dildo fast and get this phase of the mission over with.

 

Winged eyes scanned the perimeter in search for the blonde beacon of male hormones. He caught sight of a blonde head attached to a broad back in a forest green pea coat and cream turtleneck inspecting a pile of collared shirts. An even blonder store rep approached the man and with a turn of his head to address her, Jihoon confirmed the profile belonged to his target.

 

Jihoon paused for a moment to run his hands through his hair (no mirrors because fuck convenience) and straightened his blazer.

 

Okay, he could do this. This Kang Daniel dude didn't seem all that threatening from their first date. So what he wanted Jihoon's ass wrapped up in ribbon and lace under his tree this year? He could totally handle that. Park Jihoon may (normally) carefully assess any situation he gets in but he never backs down from a challenge. He WAS a healthy sexually aware boy, he's seen enough porn to know the mechanics at least. And hey, who said he even had to be the one getting his ass pegged? Gender politics be damned, he'd do whatever the fuck he wanted... though letting someone who actually knew what they were doing take the lead was probably a good idea.

 

Fuck. This needed to be over with as soon as possible.

 

And fuck if he wasn't going to at least empty this guy's wallet in the process to recover some of his wounded pride.

 

After that very (unproductive) pep talk he gave to himself, Jihoon began to approach where "Daddy" Kang was still located chatting it up with a store rep that apparently _really_ needed that commission today. Well, tough titties. This bitch can go be some other poor customer’s thorn in the side because she's keeping Mr. Kang from noticing his game-faced march and it was doing NOTHING to help his nerves. The glowering teen heard a laugh leave Mr. Kang's lips and it cut through the tension a bit. It still weirded him out how easily this guy seemed to laugh at the world but maybe money just did that for some people. He'd love to relate one day. He was just feet away from his target and the blonde chatting app showed no sign of ending her conversation with his dat-- person so Jihoon decided to take matters in his own hands.

 

"Yo!" He called out hoping to gain Mr. Kang's attention.

 

It worked. Mr. Kang finally made a full turn away from the rep in Jihoon's direction, the slight smile on his face widening as his eyes (that were sporting a pair of round glasses) landed on Jihoon. The older male excused himself from the woman and made his way over to the brunette college student.

 

"Well... not so late this time, are we?" Mr. Kang teased lightly.

 

Jihoon just sniffed at that. He was actually normally a pretty punctual person but hey, if the universe deemed it not destiny for them to meet on time, he'd just take that as another sign that this ordeal needed to run its course and be wrapped up as neatly as possible. "Well, let's just say I got my run in for the day... possible week to be sure."

 

Mr. Kang quirked an eyebrow at that. "Oh? Do you work out?"

 

Jihoon snorted. "Sort of. I go running whenever I get a little cabin fever from some really long campaigns and my friend on occasion drags me to the dance studio with him."

 

Mr. Kang's other eyebrow went up at that. "You dance too?"

 

"Yeah, not a lot though. Definitely not as good as Woojin but I do a little pop locking here and there." He didn't really talk about that particular hobby much, it was cool to show off every now and then but not something he'd really mark as a passion that he practiced religiously.

 

The older male seemed really intrigued by that detail though and went on, "I'm actually a dancer myself, been a long time passion of mine. But doesn't exactly pay the bills? We should go out dancing one night, I wanna see what you can do."

 

"Uh, sure."

 

Well Jihoon certainly didn't expect that. He scrunched one eye to examine Mr. Kang a little closer... he didn't look like a dancer at first. But really studying his physique, he could see the strong, thick legs (though definitely not as thick as Jihoon's own... but that may be due to the other's thighs not containing as much fast food because the brunette swore all that KFC went straight to his hips and thighs), the small waist that Jihoon suspected probably contained some well-defined abs if he were to look under the hood (which could very well be later but he didn't want to think about that), and he could make out some muscular arms through the coat.

 

Okay, so he could believe it. Doesn't sound like he's bullshitting for cool points either.

 

Jihoon combed some fingers through his hair once again not sure where the urge came from and found one long hand following right behind his own to comb as well.

 

What. The. Fuck.

 

He stared up (cursing, fucking, shit how he HATED tall motherfuckers) at the source of the intrusive hand which was Mr. Kang “What the hell is personal space anyway?” Daniel. He continued running his hands through the brunette's thick head of hair and Jihoon would be lying to himself (he was a very GOOD liar though) if the movement didn't make his scalp tingle pleasantly. But it also reminded him of his mom doing the same gesture back home and a small lump appeared in this throat thinking about how far away she was. Mr. Kang repeated the movement for just a few more moments before deciding that the hair must look satisfactory and removed his hand.

 

Jihoon was looking down at the shiny floors in the store but he could feel the other man's weighty gaze on him. From the tips of his hair to the sole of his shoes. He was used to being stared at, he was. But this? Was SO different. This wasn't the usual stares from giggling classmates and curious strangers he was accustomed to. Maybe it was because this was actually a one on one interaction? And this was actually a person he was expected to respond to in some way and address the clear attraction he had to him? God, he really wasn't ready for this. But no one lied to Park Jihoon better than he lied to himself.

 

He blinked up at the blonde male and quietly pushed out a "thank you". Mr. Kang didn't break his strong gaze on Jihoon however. His eyes lingered Jihoon's face (in particular his mouth) then traveled down to his shoulders, chest, down to his thighs where they stalled a bit then back up again until they landed right in Jihoon's eyes. And stayed there without as much as a flinch.

 

This was SO fucking different.

 

"You should be good now. You have really nice hair. Thick but it seems to get out of place easily. I’ve been itching to fix it since I met you." Mr. Kang admitted then softened his gaze (still not breaking eye contact though).

 

"Been that bad? You could have just told me instead of having me look like some 90’s trashpunk cartoon hedgehog." Jihoon gritted out, getting a little of his bite back at the new knowledge.

 

"Would you have let me fix it, though?" The other male countered and Jihoon almost responded as swiftly with an "Of course not, you prick." but bit his tongue. Mr. Kang seemed pleased with the silence as an answer and gestured over to the clothing tables he'd just came from. "So," He drove the conversation in a more productive direction and Jihoon would be lying to himself again if he said he weren't a little grateful to be put back on track. The more on track they were, the faster this evening would go. Yes, staying on track was good.

 

Mr. Kang continued on, "I wasn't quite sure of your size but I was looking at some stuff I think you'd look great in." Jihoon's hackles raised at that, goosebumps appearing at the memory of the trauma he went through earlier with demon fairy and his snaggletooth troll of an assistant. It was enough to put up with this bullshit with his former friends, he'll be absolutely damned if he let Daddy Dearest get in on the action too.

 

But this was the point right? It wasn't just Jihoon giving up his time to entertain this guy, he was supposed to get stuff in return too. Though really all he needed was to be fed and other basic necessities for the month... okay and luxury purchases too because as much as he told himself otherwise he actually really couldn't afford that Splatoon combo nor any more video game purchases until this got straightened out. So... he should at least make sure he's getting his part of bargain in full before... other parts are fulfilled. Could even be more fun to spend someone else's money, hell he spent his parents and had a mighty fine time doing it. Easy peasy.

 

"Um, sure. What'd you see?" Jihoon was already certain he'd hate whatever the fuck there was to see but he could play along and get an idea of what it is this dude likes. Stack up on some outfits for their next meetings. He allowed himself to be led by the blonde male over to the shirts then felt a vibration coming from his pant leg which he could only assume was his phone notifying him of an incoming text. Mr. Kang asked for his shirt size and Jihoon answered. Once the older man turned away to search, Jihoon took the moment of distraction to check his phone...

 

… Then he bite his tongue to prevent a string of curses escaping as he saw it was from Daehwi. With his number. That he was 1000% NOT supposed to have. Woojin was SO dead.

 

The text read, **_I've got your number now, pretty boy~ don’t make a fool of yourself now and let all my pretty work go to waste_. **

 

Not even _atoms_ were going to be large enough to describe the remainders of this kid when Jihoon got a hold of him next. He chose to ignore the text and looked back up to see a few long sleeved shirts being pushed into his arms. "Give me your pants size too, I have a few outfits I'd like you to try on." Mr. Kang carried on without missing a beat. Jihoon just looked up at the burning store lights, begging strength to shower down from the heavens.

 

If there was one thing Park Jihoon without questioned hated (besides losing and tall people), it was trying out clothes. School shopping was always a grueling exercise in trying to sneak away from his mom long enough to run to the safe haven of an arcade or toy store. This night was already turning into a chore, and even worse, it was reminding him of home a little too much for his liking. He told himself the lump in his throat might just be a cold he's coming down with and maybe the churning in his stomach was because he was getting nippy.

 

After telling his companion his size and being handed some additional pairs of pants, Jihoon went to the dressing room. A fashion show wasn't exactly what he was thinking of when the mall trip was originally suggested but it was only their second time together so it was still a learning curve in figuring out what exactly rustled this Kang Dude's jollies. Before he could finish putting on the first ensemble, he got another notification. This time, it was Woojin. His soon to be dearly departed friend.

 

**_Bring me bck a plate frm dat chickn place, I herd the food iz bangin. Fridg it 4 me, ill come by n da mornin 2 pick it up & massage yr a$$ b4 work if I need 2_ **

****

Okay, so death wasn’t going to be good enough. Add Woojin to the list of being atomized when he got home. Got it.

 

Jihoon once again ignored the new text and went back to the matter at hand. He got dressed then stepped out the door. Mr. Kang was sitting in a comfy looking armchair across from him. Laid back, legs crossed and gaze already intently on the younger male. Something like shivers played along Jihoon’s spine as those glassed dark eyes stayed glued to him, moving up and down until he didn't feel like the outfit was really being inspected at all but actually trying to be seen through. His face was feeling hotter by the second. It was just... so different. At the risk of sounding cliché, it felt like they were the only two there and at any moment, that stare was just going to eventually start peeling off his clothes. He doesn't think he'll ever get used to this.

 

"Looking gorgeous. The clothes look fine too." Mr. Kang finally gave his approval. Jihoon just nodded then went back into the dressing room, trying not to slam the door in his haste to retreat (in a TOTALLY carefully calculated and manly way btw). Long breaths were taken as he tried to regain his composure and shake off the lingering feelings of being publicly, mentally undressed. He looked down at his phone to check the time. It hadn't even been thirty minutes yet. He also noticed yet another notification. Once again, it was Daehwi. For some godforsaken reason.

 

**_Oh god, you’re going to a chicken place? On the FIRST night??? Please CHEW AND SWALLOW. DON’T inhale its sooooo unattractive._ **

This... was going to be a long night.

 

 

Five outfits and five lies about his mental state later, Jihoon brought up the suggestion that they head to dinner because his batteries were dangerously low and so was his temper. After both being x-ray visioned by fucking Clark Kent the Sugar Daddy Edition and annoyed to tears by MORE texts from the two stooges for a good hour, only the satisfying crunch and juicy white meat of chicken was going to fend off the potential implosion. Mr. Kang agreed apparently pleased with what they had and went to check out. Jihoon was only vaguely paying attention to the price being wrung up when he saw a familiar, tall figure out the corner of his vision.

 

Shit.

 

Shit.

 

SHIT.

 

Doesn't seem like he saw them yet but... they needed to get the fuck out of Dodge before he did.

 

"Um, Mr. Kang, so where is this restaurant you were thinking of?" Jihoon made a bit of a show of trying to keep his head facing his neighbor's direction in conversation so he hopefully wasn't seen from behind.

 

Mr. Kang thankfully didn't seem to notice anything awry. "It's this Southern place, about a seven minute drive from here. Nice atmosphere, really good food. They should have a band playing tonight too."

 

Yeeessshhhhh this was already sounding like a drag but at least food was involved. Jihoon peeked around a little to see if he could spot the figure again but thankfully came up short.

 

Crisis averted. Mission still in process.

 

"Okay great, sounds good." He gave Mr. Kang a bright smile in response which seemed to take the older gentleman back a bit as he barely nodded and quickly turned back to the cashier.

 

... So what, was him showing any kind of positivity creepy now or something? Dick.

 

* * *

 

 

The restaurant was as nice as Mr. Kang said, much more intimate than the location of their lunch date the previous. Dim lights hung from the ceiling and candle lights were on every surface in a two story industrial style building. The round tables were all wooden much like picnic tables with wooden and steel chairs as seating. There was a bar area (where Mr. Kang immediately ordered himself a julep) and a platform where a bluegrass band was playing tunes to further add to the ambiance. Less bougie overall but still a bit far to go for a "southern American" feeling.

 

Jihoon looked over the paper menu attached to a clipboard, reading over the way too expensive dishes before settling on ordering the fried chicken dinner with white mac and cheese, collard greens, and sweet potatoes while Mr. Kang ordered the roasted quail with cranberry sauce, smashed potatoes and peas. They sat across from each other peacefully for some time even after their food came. It was a little hard to talk with the music playing but the weirdly comfortable silence was starting to bother Jihoon and...

 

Maybe... possibly… Daehwi had a point about how he ate and he didn't want that to be a potential focus. Conversation needed to happen. Immediately.

 

"So... what exactly do you do at this job? Must be pretty important I guess?" Jihoon tried to start off some casual conversation as he took a bite of the creamy mac and cheese. Hmm, this place was pretty damn good.

 

Mr. Kang took a sip of his julep. "I'm VP. I get to take part in executive decisions, overview the departments, represent the company in big regional meetings and tell myself what to do."

 

The blonde winked at the younger male and the brunette just rolled his eyes in response. Must be nice. Sure, he was just getting his life started in college but he was already feeling the pitfalls of being a working student still mostly dependent on his parents' money. It was what landed him in this very situation.

 

Well... actually his spending habits did but details.

 

"And what are you studying?" Mr. Kang countered with his own question.

 

"Astronomy and space science." Jihoon answered shortly then took apart a wing. Oh, sweet baby Jesus. Crispy seasoned skin and tender, juicy meat. Was there ever a better food created?

 

Mr. Kang raised a brow at that. "Interesting. What made you want to take that?"

 

The brunette ducked his head a little, suddenly even more interested in the poultry in front of him than before. He didn't really talk about the "why" often, this was his policy on life in general but normally people didn't mind sharing their reasons for taking a major. He couldn’t help but feel it was a little too personal though.

 

"I... used to stay up and play a lot of Atari with my dad at night. His favorite game was Space Invaders. So I kind of got super interested in space and extraterrestrial life. Star Trek was like my religion and I’d do a lot of stargazing with my friends. It was just kind of an interest I always had and figured it be good for study." When Jihoon finished, he just proceeded to stuff his face with collards and then swallowed them down with some sweetened tea. He wasn't going to get into the habit of laying bare with this guy (pun unintended) but their limited time together should prevent that from ever becoming an issue.

 

The other man didn't respond with teasing like Jihoon anticipated nor was any laughter heard. Jihoon looked up to make sure he was even heard but was greeted with a warm smile that he completely DID NOT expect and whoa, what the fuck was that small feeling like little kitten paws and shit padding the inside of his stomach and making him feel all warm and weird and shit. This was some shit.

 

Mr. Kang's freakish smile of feeling... things just got wider as he said, "That's... good. That's really good something could inspire you like that." He then raised his glass in a toast manner and Jihoon scrambled to get his glass to meet his. Mr. Kang continued, "You'll do great, Sugar. Cheers." They toasted and Jihoon murmured a "cheers" in return.

 

That dumb fucking smile was more dangerous than it initially looked. Jihoon wasn't entirely sure what it was doing to him, but it had to go. He felt the familiar vibration of an incoming notification... GOD THEY WERE DOING THIS ON PURPOSE. HOW DID HE GET SUCH SHITTY FRIENDS?! He looked down to see what the hell it was this time and nearly cracked the screen when he saw the two back to back texts.

  

**_Take a trip to the bathroom before you leave to brush your teeth. I feel sorry for that man having to kiss chicken breath. Btw, you do know how to clean yourself down there, right? Nvm, give me a moment, I’ll text you some instructions._ **

 

**i know i said order me a plate 4 tomorrw but i kinda wanna eat it tonite. r u even comin home 2nite? Or does daddy knag wanna make sweet luv 2 his honey bunny all nite long :-V btw i want sum dessert too, they got bread puddin?**

Mark it for the Sunday morning arbitraries, Lee Daehwi and Park Woojin were going to be 101% dead.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Did he do something wrong?

 

Kang Daniel can't remember the last time he was sweating bullets on a date but Park Jihoon, if he were being completely honest, had him second-guessing himself ever since they first met up at the mall. He thought he picked out some rather nice pieces but the boy looked completely disinterested in everything there. It wasn't a complete waste of time because seeing Jihoon swimming in those loose collared shirts that he tugged at and smoothing the tight pants that stretched over his delicious thighs was a feast for the eyes and made little Daniel stand up to attention as his imagination went wild imagining the boy drowning in _his_ shirts at home, but it was disappointing that his beauty bunny didn’t appear particularly excited. He did make sure to only buy the stuff Jihoon didn't seem to dislike _as much_ but it was clear any future shopping trips would require some prescreening questions.

 

Okay, so he could take that L but then the dinner happened.

 

Now, he will give credit to Jihoon that he did _try_ to initiate some conversation even when Daniel was honestly just content to eat and enjoy the atmosphere with his catch. Mid-way through dinner though, the sweetheart got distracted by his phone. He wanted to ask if everything was okay because the little doll was furiously typing away and the based off the vibrations, whomever he was speaking with was responding quite urgently. But it really wasn’t any of his business so he decided to just let Jihoon tell him if he wanted to. Whatever the problem was, it (thankfully) wasn’t urgent enough for Jihoon to cut the date short and he did stop texting towards the end of the dinner. The huff of certitude as the teen put his phone away, like he’d won an argument or something, admittedly only made Daniel even MORE curious but he didn't want to pry (at least not this early on when they were still trying to get a feel for each other).

 

But hey, that wasn't really anyone’s fault so he could take that L too.

 

However, they were at the moment on a sleigh ride he rented that went through the huge park in the middle of downtown. It was chilly but the weather was pretty perfect for this time of year. The streets were dressed with garland, tree lights, and ribbons on every light post and mailbox. Sweet scents wafted through the air from the row of shops nearby that included a bakery, a coffee shop, and a candy store. There wasn't a lot of children around, the few that were played with some dogs in the grass. Overall, it was a pleasant winter evening. One that should have promoted some warm feelings or at least, more conversation but from the very beginning of the ride, Jihoon just sat tightlipped quietly looking ahead. Expression glazed in storm clouds, only a slight flush of his soft cheeks gave away that he was even a little bothered by the elements.

 

No phone conversation, no clothes... so what was it this time? Maybe he was still moody from whatever that text situation was about? Should he... say something? Put an arm around his shoulders to pull him a little closer?

 

Daniel... hasn't been used to this kind of situation in years. Fumbling around, not being sure what to say, what to do to grab his date’s attention… that was old Daniel. Before the money, the success, and the abs. A prickling in his gut occurred when it hit him that in all these years, he actually never learned how to get out of this situation either. What do you do with a Sugar baby that wasn’t content with the sugar?

 

Talking usually worked... right?

 

"Babe, I was thinking that after this, we could go back to my place. I have a few things I'd like to do." He slipped his arm around the other’s shoulder, leaned in close, breath caressing his earlobe as he added, "And I promise you'll really like me to do them, too." Jihoon whipped his head in Daniel's direction for the first time since the ride began, beautiful eyes wide, cheeks and ears reddening. "Uhh, *cough* umm... I-i... uh, okay? I mean, yea... that s-sounds... fine. Just fine."

 

 _'You sound real convincing there, baby.'_ Daniel sighed to himself but then a stroke of inspiration hit him.

 

"Hmm Baby..." He said to himself out loud this time.

 

Those deep sparkling eyes just narrowed in thought at him, asking him what exactly was happening.

  

"Baby..." Daniel repeated before then explaining, "See, I've been trying out all these pet names on you--"

 

"I noticed." Jihoon replied curtly.

  

The blonde continued, "-- but none of them felt really right but this one..." He reached out a free gloved hand and pinched one of those chubby rabbit cheeks (god, he's been wanting to do that for _ages_ ). Just a squishy as he imagined. "… Feels just right. Baby..."

 

The kid looked at him like he'd grown wood out his ears at first but then those cheeks got rosy red as he looked away muttering something incoherent under his breath.

 

Ah, bingo. This was definitely the winner.

 

And it may just be his ticket out of this mess.

 

"Baby... look at me." Daniel's voice lowered and he didn't miss the slight shudder that visibly rolled through Jihoon's back. His darling little bunny reluctantly looked back in his direction, eyebrows furrowed like he was preparing to fight someone. He has no fucking clue how anyone could look so damn cute while also looking so damn threatening but Park Jihoon just seemed to be this box of chocolates, all assorted flavors designed to drive one Kang Daniel off the deep end. When he was certain he had his date's full attention, he inspected that adorably scrunched up face. Cheeks weren't as red as they were just a few moments before sadly but still had a slight flush above that caused by the weather. His skin was clear and gorgeous. Those captivating eyes he could see now were winged with black liner and it just heightened their beauty. His lips were chapped to hell but had a sinful shape and a delicious tangerine color that was just begging to be eaten.

 

Daniel was certainly more than happy to oblige.

 

Taking Jihoon's chin in hand, he leaned down, eyes unwavering from that perfect face. He felt a slight jump as if Jihoon was about to pull away but then the kid stayed put. Perfect. The older male leaned in closer until their lips were barely a hair's apart, blowing slightly just to feel that delicious little quiver from where his arm was in contact with the younger’s spine. Those lips were an enticing treat that’d been on Daniel’s mind ever since they met in the hallway that one fateful day. He wanted to savor thi--

 

**_KA-THUMP!_ **

****

It was then Daniel's turn to jump out of his skin with a loud yelp as their ride was suddenly halted and nearly sent both of them flying. The impact separated them, so he looked over to make sure Jihoon was okay, but the kid was already standing up and hopping out of the sleigh to inspect the damage. He got up himself and shouted to the driver, "Yo, what the hell's going on?"

 

Said driver gave no response so Daniel followed his date's lead and got out the ride too to get a closer look. What he saw when got to the front of the scene however took some moments to process. Because he was certain what he was seeing couldn't be possible. And yet...

 

Jihoon was hunched over the driver who was... LITERALLY SLEEPING ON THE JOB.

 

This guy must have taken some elephant sized sleeping pills because he wasn't budging even with the impact of the crash and Jihoon was currently doing everything BUT throwing a bucket of cold water over him to wake him up.

 

"Hey, old man. DUDE." Jihoon coaxed loudly while laying some firm taps to the driver's face.

 

While his date was attending to their comatose driver, Daniel took a moment to inspect what exactly they hit. Crouching down on his knees, he scanned the area at the bottom front of the sleigh and came across one foreign object. He extended a long arm under it to grab the object and pulled it out. It was hard, round... kind of fluffy... and very yellow.

 

... The culprit was none other than some basketball sized electronic toy that looked like… a baby chick?

 

"THAT'S MINE! GIVE IT!"

 

A shrill voice stung his ears and Daniel turned around to see a dark haired, young boy running towards him with hands extended. He held out the chick to the child giving a reprimanding look that said "Please keep your toys out of traffic" but the kid just flipped him the bird and raced off.

 

Can’t say having one of these little bastards was ever at the top of Kang Daniel’s to-do list.

 

Daniel got up and returned his attention to Jihoon that had managed to successfully wake the driver up and seemed to be calling a cab for him. "Whoa, baby. What are you doing?” Daniel interrupted, “This guy's on the job, where's he gonna go?" Not to mention, he could have gotten one or both of them injured so pardon if he wasn’t feeling particularly sorry for this dude.

 

"Baby" however, didn't seem remotely moved and finished his call before turning to address Daniel's concern, "He's on some medication and it kicked in before he could finish his shift. He can't continue like this. He needs to go home. Don't worry, you're paying for the cab." Jihoon gave him such a darling little smile then, that Daniel lost the protest before it could even reach his lips.

 

This kid... was a lot more dangerous than he looked.

 

The older male watched Jihoon as he turned his attention back to the old man to check on him. A comforting and dependable aura was emitting from the brunette as he helped the man over to a nearby bench. Features angel soft as the teen carefully assured that everything is fine and no, he wasn't hurt at all as the elderly driver apologized profusely. To be honest, from what Daniel had seen of Jihoon up until now, he’d never guess the kid was even capable of taking control and handling a situation like this. This was a complete one-eighty from the moody, snarky, flustered whirlwind he’d been seeing just moments before the sleigh crashed. The flavors in the Park Jihoon box of assorted chocolates just seemed to get deeper and wilder.

 

Yes, this baby was VERY dangerous indeed. Suddenly Daniel wasn't so sure of what exactly he got himself into accepting the request of this Park Jihoon character.

 

But for the first time all night, he knew exactly where he wanted to go with him and not because of any previous motions he's gone through before with previous dates. He knew exactly where he wanted to take Park Jihoon, and Park Jihoon _alone._

 

* * *

 

 

The cab pulled off with the old man dozing in the backseat and Jihoon sighed as a feeling of finality came over him. This event just seemed to cap off how the night went as a whole. He'd rate it a solid E for excruciating. Aside from his date "experts" driving him to tears with their constant bickering and snooping through their whack text support, the actual outing was pretty dry on its own. If this were a regular da--time spent between two people that mutually agree to get to know each other, he was certain there wouldn't be a second time. And he certainly wouldn’t be going home with the bastard tonight. But hey, least he got a more “permanent” pet name out of it, right? Even if it was the most embarrassing one of all. Seriously, this Kang Daniel guy was a piece of work.

 

The sugar baby walked back to the bench they were waiting at and sat down next to Mr. Kang who was looking down intently at his phone. Jihoon felt a little slighted but then a knot of guilt formed in his stomach as he recalled that he'd been kind of, sort of doing the same thing all night. Annoying as shit friends that needed to be roasted aside, that WAS a pretty rude thing to do. He could have just shut off his phone when it first hit him that they were going to be pesks but admittedly, he did welcome their distraction from a night he wasn’t particularly involved in. Then in the final stretch, he allowed all the pent up aggravation, nervousness, and boredom to crash down on him and flat out ignore Mr. Kang. It wasn’t his fault really, Jihoon was the one that got himself into this mess.

 

The brunette sat down as he contemplated where they should go from here. Should he just suggest they pack it in and try again another day? Should he just apologize? Ignore it (Jihoon was very good at ignoring) and just proceed as if this night wasn’t the least bit romantic or mood setting?

 

Shit, this was hard.

 

After a few additional minutes, his bench-warming companion looked up and smiled at him, "Is he gone?"

 

"Yeah, the cab just left. He was able to give the address so he should be fine." Jihoon answered.

 

Mr. Kang nodded in good spirits then stood up. He stretched his long limbs, arms falling behind his head to prop it up. "So.... I’m kind of in the mood to shoot something."

 

... What?

 

Jihoon whipped his head around and up not sure he heard that statement correctly.

  

"… shoot… what, exactly?"

 

The blonde gentleman grinned widely the ends of his lips curving like a Cheshire cat as he then extended his hand. The brunette eyed the hand being offered to him a little warily but after a breath, grabbed it. The night was already a mitigated disaster... may as well see what else this Kang Daniel guy had up his sleeve.

 

* * *

 

 

 

“On your left, ON YOUR LEFT! WHY ARE YOU SO BAD AT THIS?”

 

“Am I supposed to hit that circle with the B in it?”

 

“YES. I mean… NO. I mean, it’s doesn’t matter anyway because your aim isn’t worth shit. I’ll get it mys---.”

 

A colorful pixel explosion wiped out a whole section of assorted rainbow aliens.

 

“Got it!” Mr. Kang grinned.

 

Jihoon took a second to pause and take in what happened before raising the giant plastic space gun and firing again. “Thank you for joining us in the land of usefulness, population now two.”

 

“You’re a peach.” The older male replied, smile only growing wider as he hit another bomb to wipe out more invaders.

 

“Another one? Keep this up and you may even be promoted from dead weight to extra baggage.” It was the closest thing to a compliment Jihoon was willing to give.

 

“It’d truly be an honor, Captain.”

 

“Captain? Now that’s name I could get used to. Can “baby” still be exchanged?”

 

“Not a chance.”

 

At that, the brunette decimated a giant crab like alien and all its little spawn. The screen flashed indicating the end of the round and the player results showed. He won, of course.

 

The defeated Mr. Kang stood up and pointed over to the popcorn machine across the way. “Want some popcorn?”

 

“Sure.” Jihoon answered with a thankful smile. As his companion left, he took a moment to absorb his surroundings.

 

How he’d missed this place in the months he’s been living on this side of town, Jihoon didn’t know. It was exactly the type of hangout spot he could get lost in for hours and hours a week (considering his grades and current financial status, maybe it was for the best he didn’t know about it). Back home, there was a retro game shop with a mini arcade in the back that he frequented once or twice a week. This place was a little in the cut, a couple of blocks down from their apartment building and much bigger being an full blown arcade bar with rows and rows of cabinets with every retro classic arcade game one could think of from Galaga to Mario to Street Fighter. There was a whole wall dedicated to just pinball machines, two Dance Dance Revolution machines, some air hockey tables, and even a popcorn machine that made fresh batch of complimentary popcorn every hour. Right smack in the middle, book ended by a reindeer shooting game and a Jurassic Park cabinet, sat a Space Invaders Frenzy cabinet. One large screen attached to two chairs in front of it, and two giant gun controllers. It wasn’t quite the more simplistic black and white game he and his dad huddled around an old floor model TV to play together at night, but he'd be lying if he wasn't getting some of the same warm feelings of comfort and security being here and playing with Mr. Kang. Which brought up another question of how did HE know about this place? Bright eyes scanned over to the bar area that contained a huge shelf space full of assorted alcohol and chalkboards with gaming themed cocktails listed for sale.

  

... Oh, that was why.

  

Regardless, the brunette appreciated the thought. He honestly did. It was the first part of their night where he didn't feel either super uncomfortable, annoyed to tears, or involved some potential hospital trip. Even then, the other stuff didn't seem so bad now and were quickly fading into some memories that could be laugh off in the future.

 

The night was now… kind of decent.

  

Mr. Kang came back, handing Jihoon a cup of popcorn, then took a handle of kernels from his own cup to his mouth. "So... want to play some more?" He asked before chomping down on the fluffy snack.

 

He… actually kind of did. The bar was open until four am and Jihoon wanted to stay and play games with this Kang Daniel guy all night. With the exception of his dad and his stupid brother, he was usually a single player person. Seeking out a player two just wasn't in the Park Jihoon agenda. Mr. Kang wasn't particularly skilled but he could pick up on the mechanics quickly and his laughter and teasing whenever Jihoon got too upset or serious was like a calming mist that reminded him to just have fun. And he did... he really did have fun... and that honestly kind of super terrified him deep inside.

 

"Yes but it's getting pretty late and didn't you... want to go back to your place?" No idea what idiotic stick he was suddenly hit with that was whacking him back towards the very predicament he dreaded all day but somehow that seemed like a less scary proposition then staying and exploring more of... whatever this feeling was.

 

 The blonde just shook his head though, "You know I'd love to baby, but... do _you_ want to?"

 

Just like that, the ball was back in his court and Jihoon honestly wasn't sure what to do with it. He just kind of accepted that this night was going to go a certain way and it was just something to progress through and complete like any levels of a video game with Kang Daniel as the big, horny boss at the end.

 

But... dating didn't quite work that way, did it?

 

(He wasn't going to dwell on how the "d" word suddenly appeared in his vocabulary.)

 

Swallowing thickly, still not entirely certain if the answer he was about to give was the right one at the time but he knew it was the one in his heart, Jihoon answered, "No. Not really. I'd rather play some more with you here. If that's fine with you too?"

 

The smile the younger male was given in return for his answer, sent warmth from the tip of his head to the bottom of his toes and though in his head he was cursing the reaction, a little voice inside of him cried out in relief that this was indeed the right answer.

 

"More than fine. I'm going to go order that Metal Gear Solid cocktail then we can get some more tokens. This thing eats up a lot."

 

Mr. Kang extended out his popcorn free hand to Jihoon. "Coming with?" He asked.

 

Jihoon took a good, hard look at the hand being offered to him. He wasn't old enough to order at the bar anyway so he could just wait here... but...

 

"Sure."

 

He grabbed hold of the older male's longer, paler fingers and allowed himself to be pulled up.

 

Maybe he even allowed that hand to intertwine with his and not let go even when they got the bar. Maybe he allowed the warmth from it to pleasantly seep into his skin. Maybe he even let that hand lead him around the rest of that night, firmly holding tight as if it resolved to say, “I’m not letting you get away that easily”.

 

Maybe... but no one lied better to Park Jihoon than he did to himself.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, it's sooner this time! 
> 
> If the next chapter turns into another beast, I may do like a .5 type update while I focus on some other fics. But that also depends on how fast I can push it out before having to shift focus. Hnh.
> 
> Next Chapter: The Perks of Getting Too Ahead of Yourself and Other Bad Assumptions.

**Author's Note:**

> Here's my Christmas gift to the NielWink fandom. Merry Christmas!
> 
> And yes, it's become a multi-chapter beast so it's the gift that'll keep on giving.


End file.
